A high-profile food recall will certainly get people's attention, and the current egg scare is no exception. But you should know that it's really pretty easy to avoid getting sick from tainted eggs. Clearly, if you are in possession of a carton of eggs that is subject to the recall, go ahead and throw it away or take it back to the store for a refund. But here are some things to remember about eggs:
Hard-cooked eggs.
Photo © Danilo Alfaro
Firstly, salmonella occurs naturally in eggs. Recall or no recall, you should always treat uncooked eggs as a potential food-poisoning risk.
Secondly, salmonella bacteria are easy to kill. Just cook them, and they die. In the case of eggs, cook them until both the white and yolk are firm. No runny yolks, and certainly no runny whites.
Pasteurized eggs are a fine idea if you're using raw eggs to prepare something like mayonnaise or Caesar salad dressing. The same goes if you favor a poached egg or a sunny-side-up egg with your breakfast. But as long as you cook your eggs until they are firm, pasteurized eggs aren't necessary.
But here's the thing: A properly cooked egg was never the source of danger. The real risk comes from cross-contamination. That means, you crack an egg into a bowl and get a little bit of raw egg on your hand, or on your counter, or a utensil. And then that bit of raw egg is transferred to something else via your hand or a dish towel or the contaminated utensil or whatever. That's really where you're likely to run into trouble.
Therefore, the best way to avoid a case of food poisoning from eggs is to practice safe food-handling practices:
Hard-cooked eggs.
Photo © Danilo Alfaro
Firstly, salmonella occurs naturally in eggs. Recall or no recall, you should always treat uncooked eggs as a potential food-poisoning risk.
Secondly, salmonella bacteria are easy to kill. Just cook them, and they die. In the case of eggs, cook them until both the white and yolk are firm. No runny yolks, and certainly no runny whites.
Pasteurized eggs are a fine idea if you're using raw eggs to prepare something like mayonnaise or Caesar salad dressing. The same goes if you favor a poached egg or a sunny-side-up egg with your breakfast. But as long as you cook your eggs until they are firm, pasteurized eggs aren't necessary.
But here's the thing: A properly cooked egg was never the source of danger. The real risk comes from cross-contamination. That means, you crack an egg into a bowl and get a little bit of raw egg on your hand, or on your counter, or a utensil. And then that bit of raw egg is transferred to something else via your hand or a dish towel or the contaminated utensil or whatever. That's really where you're likely to run into trouble.
Therefore, the best way to avoid a case of food poisoning from eggs is to practice safe food-handling practices:
- Keep eggs refrigerated at 40°F until you're ready to use them
- Wash your hands before and after handling raw eggs
- Cook thoroughly, until the yolks and whites are firm
- Wash your utensils and food prep surfaces after working with eggs
Comments
Just wanted to know after reading the article on eggs naturally containing salmonella, whether having an eggnog would be safe to do anymore? Thanks,
Colleen.
If you make your own eggnog, you should use pasteurized eggs. But if you buy eggnog in a carton at the store, it’s already been pasteurized and thus perfectly safe.